This Afghan boy made a Lionel Messi jersey from a plastic bag. Then he met his hero.

By
Mike Denison

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December 13, 2016 01:45 PM EST

Back at the beginning of this crazy year, then-five-year-old Murtaza Ahmadi went viral for showing off a plastic bag he had made into a Lionel Messi jersey. The Afghanistan Football Federation set up plans to make the boys meet.

On Tuesday, a video was tweeted out by 2022 Qatar World Cup organizers showing Messi, considered one of the best soccer players in the world, picking up Ahmadi, now six years old, and posing for photos.

Murtaza Ahmadi, a five-year-old Afghan Lionel Messi fan plays with a soccer ball during a photo opportunity as he wears a shirt signed by Messi, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016. Mohammad Arif Ahmadi, the father of the boy who was pictured wearing a homemade Argentina shirt with No. 10 on the back, said Friday they want to thank Messi, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, in person.(AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

After he initially went viral, he got an actual jersey signed by Messi.

I sold all my belongings and brought my family out of Afghanistan to save my son's life as well as the lives of the rest of the family.

Mohammad Arif Ahmadi

Ahmadi will join his "hero" on the pitch on Tuesday night when his Barcelona squad takes on Al Ahli, The Guardian reports.

Meanwhile, Ahmadi had to flee to Pakistan after getting threats over the phone after his newfound fame, his father Mohammad Arif Ahmadi said.

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